'Seniorhood' a moving target

When exactly does it start?

2/19/2012

BY TAHREE LANEBLADE STAFF WRITER

At What Age a Senior?

● AARP: membership begins at 50.

● Savers second-hand store: 55 and older (Tuesdays).

● Movies: 55.

● Golden Buckeye card: Ohio residents 60 and older (also people 18 through 59 who have disabilities as defined by Social Security). Check by county for thousands of businesses that offer discounts at aging.ohio.gov/goldenbuckeye.

● The Andersons: 60 (10 percent discount, first Tuesday of the month).

● Kroger: 60 ( 5 percent discount, Wednesdays).

● Kohl's: 60 (15 percent discount, Wednesdays).

● Toledo Zoo: 60.

● Amtrak and the National Park Service: 62.

● Social Security: Reduced withdrawal at 62; full withdrawal at 66 for people born 1943 to 1954, increasing gradually up to 67 for people born in and after 1960.

● Imagination Station: 65.

Just when you're beginning to come to terms with the idea that you might be considered middle-aged, you turn 50 and receive a "welcome" letter from AARP.

"Oh puhleez," you think, tossing it into the recycling bin. Nevertheless, the niggling seed has been planted.

When does seniorhood begin anyway? And who says so?

"It's becoming a gray area, excuse the pun," said demographer William Frey, of the University of Michigan Population Studies Center.

The term "senior citizen" is used for legal and policy reasons to determine eligibility for certain benefits, but usually it's used for marketing.

Lowering the threshhold, at least psychologically, is AARP, which offers membership beginning at age 50.

At the Oregon Inn on Bayshore Road, the proprietor said the senior menu is available to people at least 59 1/2 years. That's the age at which one can withdraw without penalty from IRAs and 401(k)s, reasons owner Art Richardson, who admitted, 1) he gets funny looks when he explains that to inquiring patrons, and 2) he does not card.

Ohio offers its Golden Buckeye card to people when they hit 60, earlier if they've been determined to have a disability. Michigan does not offer a comparable card. In Canada, the Old Age Security pension is available to almost everyone at age 65, even if they're working or never worked.

The American gold standard has long been Social Security. At 62, people can receive a reduced check. At one time, the age to receive the full sum was 65; it's now 66 and will gradually rise to 67 for those born in or after 1960, making it one of the oldest in the world for full benefits.

McDonald's takes a relaxed approach to its senior discount that provides a small coffee or beverage for half price. Calls to area McDonald's to discern the senior-coffee age resulted in these answers: 50, 55, 60, "I'll believe you whatever you say," and the most endearing of all, "If you look it."

"The word 'senior' is something many people like to avoid. But a lot of people want to get those senior discounts," Mr. Frey said. "This idea of 'seniors' will have to be used in a more delicate way in the future, perhaps 'mature adults.' "

But as the 78 million to 80 million post-World War II Baby Boomers (born 1946 through 1964) rock on into their golden years (the first turned 65 last year), he expects some things will change. For example, given their sheer masses, businesses may follow Social Security's suit and raise the age for discounts.

Moreover, healthy and financially secure sexagenarians aren't likely to act old, he notes; consequently, future marketers may add value to that demographic. The most lucrative demographic, for example, in the world of television, is considered to be 25 to 54 years old, but that could stretch on the top end.

The grayest gray area, said Mr. Frey (who, at age 64, works both in Ann Arbor and Washington for the Brookings Institution) is 60 to 70. Perhaps that decade should be dubbed "advanced middle age," he suggested, adding, "It's safe to call people seniors at 70."

Jean Molitor, a staff psychiatrist at Harbor Behavioral Healthcare, said boomers have a forever-young attitude.

"People are living longer and they want to be healthy," Dr. Molitor said. "Healthy people think, 'I'm not old.' It's really very individualized. You have to look at whether you see yourself as old.

"I have patients in their 80s, but I think of them as being in their 60s, because they're healthy."

Contact Tahree Lane at 419-724-6075 and tlane@theblade.com.

Copyright 2015 The Blade. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission.